NEW YEAR'S REGATTA
An international ILCA regatta between Christmas and New Year. Sailed since 1975.
This year's edition
49th International New Year's Regatta
28–30 Dec 2026 · Pakleni channel · ILCA 4, ILCA 6, ILCA 7
Documents
The Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions will appear here.
- 48
- editions
- 1975
- first regatta
- 1812+
- sailors in the archive
Competitor info
Entries, travel, accommodation and all the practical details.
All editions
Winners, news and photo albums of every international edition since 1975/76.
Sailors
The sailors who left their mark across the editions.
Records and statistics
Most wins and podiums, clubs and nations, the fleet by class — from the whole results archive.
Zdenko Roić of Hvar hit upon the idea that one could sail in winter too. The first New Year's Regatta was sailed at the turn of 1975/76: several clubs bought new Laser dinghies, and on 1–4 January 1976 racing was held in the Laser and Optimist classes and on sailboards.
Programme of the first international edition — International Laser Class Regatta, 1–4 January 1976, YC Zvir Hvar.
Many wondered at the unusual people towing sailboats on trailers across a cold, snow-covered Europe, bound for Hvar. Few believed the regatta would become synonymous with Hvar and the Laser Europa Cup.
Zdenko Roić died in Hvar in August 1980. From that year Nikša Ive — Čane took over the running of the New Year's Regatta. The “Zdenko Roić Memorial” is sailed in his honour.
New Year's Regatta, 1985 — dinghies off the Hvar waterfront.
The Zdenko Roić Memorial
Zdenko Roić and Nikša Ive — Čane on the pier in front of the club (Macel).
In the Memorial all Laser (ILCA) classes sail together: the winner is the sailor with the fewest points across all regular races plus the navigational race, with no discard of the worst result. The Memorial is also sailed in the Optimist class.
Through the years
1975/76
The first New Year's Regatta
Zdenko Roić of Hvar decides that one can sail in winter too: Laser, Optimist and sailboards, 1–4 January 1976.
1980
The Zdenko Roić Memorial
After Roić's death Nikša Ive — Čane runs the regatta, and the Memorial is sailed in his honour.
1989
The first Europa Cup
The regatta joins the Laser (now ILCA) Europa Cup.
2012
Croatian Open Championship for Optimists
The Optimist national championship is sailed alongside the Laser Europa Cup.
Results →2013
Training camp with Tonči Stipanović
Before the regatta, the European champion and world runner-up coaches Laser sailors in Hvar with Jozo Jakelić.
2016
Laser Masters European Championship
In October Hvar hosts the masters' European championship, and in December the 40th New Year's Regatta.
Photos →2020
Cancelled in the pandemic
Replanned without Europa Cup status, it was postponed because of the pandemic — the first year without racing since the war years 1991/92 and 1992/93. The people of Hvar filled the harbour with sails on New Year's Eve instead.
2021
An ILCA-only regatta
After a long tradition in Hvar the Optimists sail their New Year's regatta in Split; since then Hvar races the ILCA classes only.
Results →2025
Half a century of the regatta
Fifty years after the first regatta, the 48th international edition is sailed.
Results →
Photographed and filmed by: Cucin Photography, Boris Kragić, Karin Žvan, Jan Mastrović, Roko Muštra; the 39th regatta's video was filmed by Alex Smith and Jan Müller. Thank you! Gallery →
From the archive
Photographs from the regatta’s early decades.
Records
Who won the most, the longest streaks, every edition's winners and the fleet figures — from the whole results archive.
- Most Memorial wins
- Mate Arapov (6), Mladen Makjanić (5), Walter Rothlauf (3)
- Longest winning streak
- Mladen Makjanić · 4× (1985/86–1988/89)
- Most class titles (since 2004)
- Stipe Gašpić (3), Roko Stipanović (3), Luka Radelić (2), Sergey Komissarov (2), Toni Bušić (2), Valeriy Kudryashov (2), Bohdan Rukhlin (2), Oskar Madonich (2)
Notice boards of past editions
- 48th International New Year's Regatta — EurILCA Europa Cup (2025/26)
- 47th International New Year's Regatta — EurILCA Europa Cup (2024/25)
- 46th International New Year's Regatta — EurILCA Europa Cup (2023/24)
- 45th International New Year's Regatta (2022/23)
- 44th International New Year's Regatta — Europa Cup (2021/22)